Another family-friendly fright fest, ‘Goosebumps’ stole the box office.  This follows the success of ‘Hotel Transylvania 2’, which reigned a month back and is still in the Top 5.  (Both films are from Sony, incidentally.)  The Jack Black adaptation of the popular 90s YA novel series benefited from the upcoming Halloween holiday, heavy marketing and nostalgia, as audiences of all ages turned out for the comedy thriller.

Josh Greenstein, Sony’s worldwide marketing and distribution chief happily reported:

“To be Number One in this crowded marketplace is a giant victory.  The fans of the Goosebumps book were the foundation, but we also expanded to a wider audience with the help of our incredible star Jack Black, who was all in, supporting the film on a global scale.”

On the flip side, Guillermo del Toro’s gothic ‘Crimson Peak’ only managed to peak at #4, pulling in a disappointing $12.8 million.  Whereas film-goers’ reaction to ‘Goosebumps’ was solidly positive, those who saw ‘Peak’ were disappointed in what turned out to be a lack of frights.  Instead, the movie turned out to be more of a romantic period drama.  The fact that there wasn’t much initial interest in the film, coupled with weak work of mouth should sink this film fairly quickly.

  1. Goosebumps (Sony) – $23.5 Million
  2. The Martian (20th Century Fox) – $21.5 Million
  3. Bridge of Spies (Disney) – $18.3 Million
  4. Crimson Peak (Universal) – $12.8 Million
  5. Hotel Transylvania 2 (Sony) – $12.2 Million

‘The Martian’ continues to be a big draw as it just fell short of the #1 spot by two million.

With Halloween just around the corner, ‘Goosebumps’ and ‘Hotel Transylvania 2’ should continue to do well.  Next week ‘Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension’ could scare up large numbers as the first real horror movie coming out before the big night.  The paranormally-themed ‘The Last Witch Hunter’ boasts Vin Diesel in the starring role, but buzz on the action flick has been fairly minimal, so it’s unclear how that film will perform.  Even so, Lionsgate has already committed to a sequel.

Also opening is ‘Jem & The Holograms’ which many have already written off as being ‘Jem’ in name only, with almost nothing recalling the cult favorite 80s cartoon.  With lack of support from lifelong ‘Jem’ fans and a failure to connect with younger movie fans, despite attempts to sell if from the “studio that brought you ‘Pitch Perfect'” and “the director of [Justin Bieber:] ] ‘Never Say Never’,” this movie may be available on DVD before Christmas.

Check back next week for the latest numbers!

Source: Deadline